Ghana’s record growth in non-traditional exports is increasing the need to equip smaller businesses with the financing, technology, and market access required to sustain growth beyond the domestic market.
Non-traditional export earnings rose 30.7% to over US$5 billion in 2025, up from US$3.83 billion a year earlier, with processed and semi-processed products accounting for 83.47% of earnings. The figures point to a growing opportunity for Ghanaian businesses to move further into value-added production and international markets.
But for many smaller firms, turning that opportunity into sustained export sales remains constrained by limited access to finance, digital capabilities, and international buyers.
The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), in partnership with the International Trade Centre’s (ITC) SheTrades Initiative and the UPS Women Exporters Programme (UPS WEP), is seeking to address some of those gaps through training focused on artificial intelligence, digital tools, and financial growth strategies.
Speaking at the ITC SheTrades x UPS WEP x GEPA Ghana Workshop, GEPA Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Marketing and Promotions, Raymond Rashid Kramer, reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to the development and promotion of Made-in-Ghana products and services under the Government’s Accelerated Export Development Programme.
Kramer said GEPA’s strategy includes creating stronger links between Ghanaian businesses and overseas markets, highlighting the Ghana Trade Houses in London and Philadelphia as “strategic platforms” that will connect local businesses with “international buyers, distributors and partners.”
He encouraged participating businesses to “take advantage of these opportunities to expand their reach and grow their businesses beyond Ghana.”
The focus on export capacity comes as access to finance remains one of the biggest constraints facing Ghanaian businesses.
Firms need financing to purchase raw materials, increase production, meet quality and packaging requirements, and manage the period between shipping goods and receiving payment from foreign buyers.
Digital capability is also becoming important as businesses use online platforms to identify customers, market products, receive payments, and manage international transactions.
The workshop therefore goes beyond basic entrepreneurship training by exposing businesses to artificial intelligence and digital tools that could reduce operating costs and improve their competitiveness in international markets.
Women-owned businesses continue to face challenges in accessing formal finance and international markets, limiting their ability to scale despite their contribution to Ghana’s private sector.
GEPA’s push to connect SMEs to overseas buyers is being reinforced by the establishment of trade platforms outside Ghana. The Philadelphia Trade House, for instance, is intended to provide Ghanaian businesses with stronger access to buyers, distributors, and commercial partners in the United States.
GEPA has set an ambitious target of increasing Ghana’s non-traditional exports to the US from US$405.6 million in 2025 to US$1 billion in 2026.
The expansion of market access, however, will only translate into higher export earnings if domestic businesses can meet the volume, quality, and reliability requirements of international buyers.
That makes access to finance and digital capability critical to Ghana’s export strategy. A business may secure an overseas buyer, but without sufficient working capital, efficient systems, and the ability to scale production, it may struggle to fulfil the order.
The initiative therefore reflects a broader shift in Ghana’s export strategy: from simply promoting Made-in-Ghana products to building the capacity of businesses to compete consistently in foreign markets.
